keeping temps DOWN (and other questions)

Discussion in 'Rhacodactylus (Crested) Geckos' started by kephy, Jun 15, 2006.

  1. kephy

    kephy Moderator

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    I don't have a crestie, but I've wanted one for a long time. I'm kind of toying with the idea, and my birthday is coming up....

    but I want to cover all my bases. So I'll have a lot of questions I'm sure.

    First and foremost: my house does not have AC. We have a little window unit in the spare bedroom, but it can't be placed in a room where pets are kept, so keeping consistent temps in other rooms is tricky. The ambient temp in the room where my other reptiles are kept is right now around 88F. There's no room in there for another tank anyways. I would probably keep him in my bedroom, ambient temp there right now is 80F. But outside it's only 85F, it can eventually get in the upper 90's where I live and I can't say for certain that my bedroom temp will stay low enough for a crestie. Maybe, but I've yet to test it. If not, is there any way to cool an enclosure other than coming up with some magic trick to keep the temps in my house steady?

    Also, how much daily attention do cresties require? I have a lot of pets already, so I need to know how much of my daily time will be required to keep a crestie happy too. I also go out of town a lot and my fiance will have to care for him while I'm away, so I need to prepare him for the time it takes and see if he's willing.

    If I can't keep the temps down or they require more time and attention than I have to offer, of course I won't get one. But man, they sure are cute, I'd love to have one if things work out.
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. pullinapete

    pullinapete Member

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    some people like to put ice cubes in the water dish or lay ice cubes on the screen top or put them in a closed container. you could also get a small fan for the room and make sure the door stays open to let the air flow. time per day depends on what you want, they dont need much just heavey spray every night (its ok if you miss one night if you do make sure there is a water dish, change that daily or every other day) and baby food needs to be changed every 3ish days because it will mold (if you have ants where you live its good to take the baby food out every morning). Crickets can be feed once a week or everyday if you like most people feed about 10 a week some geckos will eat 10 some more some less. If you do want to handle them its about 15-20min a day and the best time is just before they are to wake up. hope that answers your questions

    Pete
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. field_hockey_gal

    field_hockey_gal Well-Known Member

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    Temps above 80 are not good. If you have a small fan (maybe a computer fan that will sit on the top) that will help, or even ice cubes in the water and a container of ice will allow them a cooler area. Shaded areas, misting all will help. Along with no extra lights on top of the enclosure.

    Attention needed = none. I have 5 cresteds that are not the greatest with handleing and would rather not be touched. As long as they have food they are happy. The other 5 will tolerate handleing and only one gets constant handleing, but they do not need daily attention. I watch them, feed them, so they do get that sort of attention, but nothing like taking them out for 20 minutes and letting them roam around.
    For eleven geckos it takes me around 20 minutes or so to feed and mist them all, or 5 minutes to just mist them. Your fiance will be fine if he has to take care of them. Im sure he can dump babyfood into a bowl for them.

    They are cute, and I hope you can get one. They are awsome ;)
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. jayhay

    jayhay Well-Known Member

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    In comparison to some other reptiles, these guys are a breeze. Baby food every couple of days, daily misting and that is about it. Handeling depends on the crestie. My little guy loves to come out. I have had him out every night this week for up to 20 minutes, he just sits on my hand and stares around, lol. (I just got my crestie, so I am super in love with him right now ;) my opinions are therefore really really biased right now!). All in all though, compared to my other reps, these guys are really simple...but very addicting. As for the temps, do you by chance have a ceiling fan? I just had one put in my reptile room, and I find that it lowers the temp signifigantly. It also gets the air moving. Good luck!
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. kephy

    kephy Moderator

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    Is there very much a difference in the care they need between adults and babies? I'm looking at different ones avaiable online, and I can get anything from 4 weeks old, 3 months old, 6 months old, or adult retired breeders.
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. pullinapete

    pullinapete Member

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    not really they onlything I have noticed is my oldest eats less crickets but that might just be my gecko, everything staus the say for the most part (that I know of)
     
  12. Bryan

    Bryan Well-Known Member

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    Once adults, they eat less in general (not growing)... where you feed every day for young ones, you can happily drop back to every other day for adults (personal preference)...
    They eat less crix and concentrate more on the babyfood... maybe because they're getting lazy with age?
    I know ours (offered food every day) will eat a reasonable amount for a couple of days, then eat very little for a few days... so I know I could easily cut back to feeding every other day...

    Oh, as far as time...
    That's as much or as little as you're comfortable with...
    But I'd say a minimum for time required to look after a crestie, would be 5mins/day (spot clean, feed/water, and mist), and 30mins/month (major tank cleanout)...
     
  13. kephy

    kephy Moderator

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    I'm commited now. I just bought an enclosure. :)

    I'm such a sucker though. I had set my mind on getting the 18x18x18 exo-terra cage, but when I went to Petsmart they had the 18x18x24. I'm not one to pass up spoiling my pets with the best, and it was only $20 more. But now I'm gonna have to tear out a shelf in my closet to make it fit! ;)

    I did find a spot in one of my hall closets that stays around 78-81F during the day. I've been monitering it for about 3-4 days now and it seems consistent. It's just outside the door to the room where the AC unit is, and there is a large fan that circulates the air down the hallway.

    Now if I can just get this breeder to reply about my inquiry on one of his geckos.... I'm looking at a 4 month old. I sent him an email this morning so hopefully I'll hear back soon. I'm getting excited!
     
  14. Bryan

    Bryan Well-Known Member

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    Getting the extra height is well worth it for cresties (in my opinion)... 18" is really a minimum...
    They'll love the extra climbing room...
     
  15. field_hockey_gal

    field_hockey_gal Well-Known Member

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    Congrats. Im sure you will love him or her. The 18x18x24 will look really good, and gives him a bit more room (and height) being a 35gal.
    Best of luck with getting your gecko!
     
  16. kephy

    kephy Moderator

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    Here it is, in it's very beginning stages.

    [​IMG]

    I still have a lot of work to do on the decorating front, but I wanted to get the basics in there right away so I could start working on adjustments for temps and humidity. The spot in the house the cage is in, it's pretty dark so I put in a fluorescent on a timer just to give a day/night cycle. It did raise the temps a tiny bit, but there is still a gradient around the 78-82F range. The higher temps being directly under the light, and the ambient staying around 78F.

    Right now I can only get the humidity up to 55% with heavy misting. I assume (and hope) that when I have more plants and decorations in the enclosure to mist, the humidity will go higher?

    In addition to what you see, I have Rep-Cal Calcium w/ D3 and Herptivite. I have gutloaded crickets always on hand for my pictus gecko and beardies, so that won't be a problem.

    I still need lots of decorations. More silk plants, vines, lots of hides, etc.
    I need baby food and CGD. Food and water bowl (do these guys need a calcium dish?)
    And I need a gecko. The breeder emailed me back, and the juvie I want is still available. ;)

    Is there anything I'm forgetting at the moment?
     
  17. Fable

    Fable New Member

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    235
    Nice job Kephy looks very nice. For decore (plants) I went to a local craft store and bought fake vines for $1.49 and bought suction cups for $2.00 and just cut them and rigged them up. When they get dirty I just toss them and go and get more because they are so cheap. The only suggestion I have is get some more vines I know just about everyone uses the exo terra bendy vines as do I and are very pleasing to the eye. Hope I helped.
     
  18. Krepoort

    Krepoort Member

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    512
    Cool kephy. I'm jealous. You got the x-large tank that I wanted. :lol: Good luck with the rest of the set up. Keep us posted.
     
  19. kephy

    kephy Moderator

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    I can't keep the humidity up. The highest it will go is 56% and then within an hour it's bottomed back out to 30%. Is this just because of the lack of decor?
     
  20. Krepoort

    Krepoort Member

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    512
    It could be. Might have more to do with the substrate. Maybe try having a brick of Eco-Earth under the paper towels?
     
  21. kephy

    kephy Moderator

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    Like just have a thin layer of substrate underneath the paper towels? Maybe 1 inch?

    I was wondering, cresties can climb glass and crickets can't, right? So I was wondering if anyone has ever tried putting the crickets in a small jar so the crestie can climb in and grab some anytime he wants. That way they don't escape, reduces the risk of impaction from injesting substrate, easier to collect the crickets he doesn't eat, etc. Do you think this would work?
     
  22. Krepoort

    Krepoort Member

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    512
    The bottom of our tanks are the same size. The thread with my new tank has 1 brick of Eco-Earth in it and it fills up about half the height of the bottom section (I think).

    Thats a interesting idea with the jar. I dont use crickets, but I would imagine you'd need to pull off their back legs so they cant jump out the jar. If you do use some Eco-Earth, you can even bury part of the jar so its more discrete.
     
  23. kephy

    kephy Moderator

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    6,445
    Thanks. I'm just concerned about impaction for a 4 month old. I do want to use Eco-Earth if that's the best way to keep the humidity higher, but if I do I don't want him to ever have to eat off the ground, ya know? I think I'm gonna order one of those food/water dishes that has magnets so you can hang it high on the glass.
     
  24. Krepoort

    Krepoort Member

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    512
    Yeah, I'm worried about impaction as well, since I'm probably getting a baby. I'm currently breeding mealworms and supers, so that little feeding dish I have 'should' keep the worms from getting onto the substrate. I only plan on having a couple worms (maybe) in there at a time, with the main food source being CGD.

    The magnetic dishes sound interesting as well. Got any links or pics?
     
  25. froggeegurl

    froggeegurl New Member

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    If you use CGD you shouldn't have to worry about impaction. It all depends on what you want to do. But I think the glass jar idea would work too. I would just make sure it was deep enough that the crickets couldn't jump out.

    Froggeegurl
     

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